This brew pours an opaque reddish/purple color when held up to the light. There is a one finger off white head and light lacing. The head dissipates quickly but some of it hangs around as a collar.

The smell is very malty, and yeasty, sweet and some lightly roasted malts. Nutty and fruity, plums and pears as well as brown sugar. The smell improves as the brew warms up.

The taste thankfully follows the nose with sweet malts dominating. They are followed by lightly roasted malts, yeast, nuts and fruits then finishing with brown sugar. There are some very light spicy hops on the backend but this is a malt forward brew.

I had been meaning to try Allagash for a long time and so I finally grabbed some from the shelf. This one is a Dubbel Ale with strong Belgian and Abbey Ale styles. This brewery is based in Portland, Maine and this variety has a solid 7.0% ABV.

Look-It has one of the most beautiful colors that I have seen in a long while. It has an amber color that blushes red like a cute shy girl in front of her crush. I’d also describe it as a deep copper color that is reminiscent of reddish-brown leaves in autumn. The head is thick and foamy with a vigorous pour and is an off-white color. Brilliant beer so far!

Smell-It smells of caramel and dark fruits. This malt-forward brew relies on the plentiful smells and flavors from the dynamic malt base.

Taste-I taste dark fruits like dark chocolate-covered raspberries and the lighter clementine mixed with a smoky oak, cedar, rum, cracker, bread pudding, and some yeast and buttered biscuit. I get a lot of variety from the malts which are delicious and also the miniscule hops that come through are primarily citrus and grass. I’d be impressed if you notice the hop content.

Mouthfeel-This beer is smooth, effervescent, and medium-bodied with enough sweetness to keep your attention, but is not syrupy. The carbonation is medium/low, but ambient and persistent. There is a lingering coating on the tongue which feels like a moist buttered biscuit and is absolutely pleasant. I look forward to that sensation as much as the taste itself! And that is saying something.

Overall-I’d say that this beer is a must try for anyone. The color is beautiful and the lacing is delicate and diminished. The flavor is complex and entertaining and the mouthfeel is silky smooth and zingy from the persistent carbonation. I’d say that I’m a new fan of the Allagash brewery. Cheers! (1,826 characters)

Pours darkish red, with a big billowy head that lingers awhile. Smells like plum, raspberry, and a bit of caramel. Taste is toffee, along with some dark fruits, including lots of raspberry. A really delicious dubbel. (216 characters)

The classic dubble. I would actually put this one a bit behind Ommegang's Abbey Dubbel. It's a bit fruity and sweet with a hint of spice, but it's surprisingly light for Allagash. Was expecting more oomph in this one. (217 characters)

Allagash knows what they're doing, but we all know that. I haven't had the dubbel because I feel it'll be close to their tripel, which is a good beer, but doesn't blow me away—but the Dubbel Reserve is cut from a different cloth. It pours a dark amber color and smells of fruit and sugar. It tastes of fruit and goes down very smoothly with a little bit of an edge to it that makes it unique. It says it's aged in a cellar, and I wouldn't mind taking a trip to that cellar to thank it for its great work. (506 characters)

A: Deep amber, slightly hazy, nice head retention. Attractive. S: Belgian yeast, slight phenol/clove, some dark fruit, plum, slight dark malts, has a bit of that burnt malt aroma I get out of American Belgian-style ales sometimes. Pretty good though. Not very, very strong. I think carbonation is a bit low on this. T: Much more of that burnt flavor I was describing before. Very high in acidity, makes it nearly difficult to drink. Light malt, some fruitiness, more raisin-y than plum-y. Not overwhelmingly complex. LIght sweetness, as it warms, some light hop presence comes out as well, sort of earthy, reminding me of a saison a bit. On the whole, not bad, but a bit too much acidity for me, cutting the flavor of yeast, malt, etc. M: Carbonation fairly high, also, hurting flavor. Medium light, some dryness but does hang around a little bit. O: A decent beer, not my first choice of belgian styles or even dubbels, certainly not the worst I've had either. (979 characters)

Best thing here was appearance, which was a huge, rocky, cream-colored, long lasting head, some lace, and a clear buckwheat honey amber color. Aroma is mainly yeast, some malt, fruit, spice. Flavor's similar to nose, somewhat bittersweet along with some carbonic tang and a little metallic. The metallic affects the body leaving high points that don't fit. Maybe this beer gets a lot better with age, as the label suggests. (423 characters)

M: Thick body. Round and creamy. Slight sense of heft. Gentle carbonation. Smooth and easy on the palate. Nice texture. Very well structured in body and feel.

O: Nothing off or offensive about it, but it lacks the captivating complexity that I crave of the style. Perhaps the bar is set pretty high in my mind, as Chimay Rouge is an all-time favorite of mine and I tend to hold dubbels to that standard. (1,003 characters)

Look is appealing, a cloudy amber brown color. Aroma has hints of oak. Taste lacks the sweet/sugary fruitiness of other dubbels which is unexpected. Not sure I can get through more than a glass. Mouthfeel is better, light and bubbly with the expected carbonation. But I still can't get past the taste. Perhaps I'm too accustom to other dubbels but this is not what I was expecting. (384 characters)

Does not have that lovely mouthfeel you get from most dubbels. Very light mouthfeel for a dubbel, much more carbonation than usual. Very powerful spices notes, almost a tobacco flavor. No real dark fruit/candy syrup flavor apparent due to heavy spice notes. Overall, very disappointing. (287 characters)

Gentle pour from a 750 ml bottle (Batch 113, if you're playing along at home) into a tulip glass. Color is clear, dark honey (took care not to disturb the yeast sediement on the initial pour) crowned by a light tan three-finger head that fell to a sparse film, leaving light lacing on the glass. Naturally there was increasing haziness as the bottle was finished.

Nose is sweetly aromatic- dried fruits, malts, with just a hint of cloves. Traces of alcohol in the background, but not to nose-burning intensity.

Taste is sweet up front- caramel, candi sugar, ripe fruits and an almost chocolate note. The flavors progress into a green apple-like tartness (quite Belgian) with toasted nuts leading to a fairly dry finish that has an almost woody quality that lingers a bit. Hops are quite subdued.

Mouth-feel is moderately rich without being syrupy; not heavy, but not too light. Carbonation is medium, just enough to tingle.

An outstanding American representative of the Belgian style, faithful but memorable in its own right. This one stands up alongside Ommegang's offerings as the best of US breweries attempting this form. (1,131 characters)

Pours a dark copper/amber color. A thin head quickly dissipates into a very thin white lace that sticks to the sides of the glass and disappears completely towards the end of the drink.The aroma is my favorite attribute of this beer! I smell malty sweetness with hints of maple syrup, caramel, belgian candy sugar and coffee.The taste is complex. Sweet roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, grains, a hint of spice, yeast as well as a creamy/milky finish that reminds me of a cafe au lait. The finish also has a slightly dry element. The feel is rich, heavy, creamy and robust. It feels like a meal. Served cold, it is refreshing at the same time. The carbonation is low but still tickles the tongue.Overall, this is a solid dubbed; a Belgian style that I love. I have thus far enjoyed all of Allagash's products, and this one is no different. (844 characters)

Appearance (4.25) : Has a creamy cap that's somewhere between beige and off-white. Three fingers is the number. Body is kind of a blood-orange to orange tint and 70% opacity. Nice lacing on the glass in rings.

Taste (3.25) : A bit of sour and lightly metallic alcohol strikes the first blow, giving way to a wheaty bubble gum flavor on the finish. There's really only two sides to this coin. Very simple. Sour alcohol, bubble gum wheat. After a short while (say, 10 minutes) the beer takes on a medicinal taste...with slight bubble gum. I actually ended up pouring it after I finished the review.

Overall (3.38) : Eh, it's okay. I wouldn't have it again unless there was nothing else available. It's an impressive ale, but nothing world class and nothing especially outstanding. Very simple but has a few too many metallic notes going on in the flavor profile. (1,147 characters)